Rival Koreas agree to form first unified Olympic team

The United States is hopeful - but apparently not optimistic - that North Korea's overture to South Korea about creating a united team for this year's Winter Olympics could lead to wider talks about ending Pyongyang's nuclear weapons programme.

U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday he is open to talks with North Korea, but "I'm not sure that sitting down will solve the problem".

The size of the North's delegation to Pyeongchang and the categories it can compete in are expected to be confirmed after an International Olympic Committee meeting on Saturday.

Do, the South Korean sports minister, said the "Korean Unification" flag will be raised at the opening ceremony if the Koreas agree to march in together.

This was part of a five-point agreement between South and North Korean officials at a four-a-side meeting on Monday held to discuss Pyongyang's proposal to send a cultural troupe to the Games.

The survey by the private polling group Realmeter indicates how much South Koreans' view of their northern neighbor has changed because of its expanding nuclear and missile programs since the two countries' athletes marched together at sporting events during the era of detente in the 2000s.

The latest deal, announced by South Korea's Unification Ministry, will allow the North's Samjiyon Orchestra to hold performances in both Seoul and Gangneung, a city about 100 miles east of Seoul that's hosting Olympics events such as figure skating and ice hockey. North Korea led by Kim Jong Un already laid out the demand back in June previous year.

In women's hockey, the Koreas have agreed on a joint team.

North Korea has proposed sending a seven-member delegation to the South on Saturday to make advance preparations for the dispatch of an art troupe during the PyeongChang Olympics. "History tells us a very bitter lesson about North Korea". The U.S. Navy's nuclear-powered aircraft carrier John C. Stennis set sail on Tuesday and is heading toward the Korean Peninsula.

Despite conservative skepticism, South Korea's government led by liberal President Moon Jae-in says it hopes the Olympics will provide the Koreas with a chance to improve their frosty relations.

The decision to send athletes to train to the Masikryong Ski Resort, which lies in the North Korean half of Gangwon Province, was met with skepticism by the South Korean opposition. Ping-pong played a major role in getting the USA and China to form diplomatic ties, and the Winter Olympics this year could be meaningful in at least getting North Korea to halt its provocations for the time being.

NORTH Korea has cancelled plans to send Kim Jong-un's ex lover to the South for diplomatic talks.

"In the end, they are using this old tactic to get to Washington through Seoul".

North Korea also sent highly trained female cheering groups dressed in bright, attractive outfits when it attended previous global sports events in South Korea.

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